Aaron Hindle lied to customers while operating as an unlicensed car dealer

A former chef turned illegal second-hand car salesman tried to sell more than 20 cars including a taxi on social media while lying to prospective buyers.

A dodgy car dealer illegally selling second-hand cars on social media made outlandish false claims about the lemons, a court has heard.

Aaron Hindle, 30, told the Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety contributed to him into duping buyers into purchasing his vehicles.

Consumer and Business Services SA charged Hindle in September with two counts of carrying on business as a second hand vehicle dealer without a licence and two counts of making false and misleading representations.

He pleaded guilty to the offences.

On Monday, the court heard Hindle tried to sell 23 cars, including a Toyota Aurion and a Mazda Tribute, on Gumtree and Facebook from March, 2019 to June, 2020.

When advertising the Aurion on Facebook, Hindle said it had one owner and was never used as a taxi despite it having three owners and being used as a taxi for at least two years.

Hindle advertised the Tribute on Facebook, saying he was selling it on behalf of his parents when he’d purchased it from someone unrelated to him the day before.

Aaron Hindle, 30, was convicted of dealing in second-hand cars without a licence and lying to customers on Monday. Picture: Jason Katsaras

Acting commissioner for Consumer Affairs Fraser Stroud said Hindle was warned he needed a licence if he intended to continue selling second-hand cars.

“There are protections available to consumers under the Second-hand Vehicle Dealers Act that simply aren’t available when a used car is sold privately,” Mr Stroud said.

“Before Hindle came to our attention, he’d been using fake names and licence numbers to avoid detection.”

An email from Hindle’s doctor was tendered to the court supporting Hindle’s diagnosis.

Lawyer for the Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Chol Pager, told Magistrate Paul Bennett Hindle’s diagnosis from 2014 offered little explanation for his offending.

“It's not clear whether at the time his medical condition was deteriorating or whether he was in remission,” Mr Pager said.

“His diagnosis were in 2014 and in 2017, but the offending occurred between 2019 and 2020.”

Hindle said he begun selling cars to make an income while spending more time with his kids.

The former chef said selling the cars illegally was part of a compulsion caused by obsessive compulsive disorder.

“In all due respect these aren’t things that go away or go into remission,” Hindle said.

“A compulsion is not something that can be helped.

“I have concerns that if a conviction is placed, when I’m having a tough time it may well happen again and I don’t want to.

“I would like to obey the law.

“I’m aware I did receive a warning, but being a compulsion it was fighting my moral conscious.”

Magistrate Bennett said Hindle had made no profits from his actions, but convicted him on all charges.

“You have explained you consider your obsessive compulsive disorder was in part the reason for continuing to offend, even after receiving a warning from the department in July 2020,” Mr Bennett said.

“There was a long enough period for you to think better of what you were doing.”

“I can only place very limited weight on your mental health affecting your culpability in any substantial way.

‘You knew what you were doing.”

Hindle was fined $8100, with a prosecution fee of $1070. Court fees were waived.